This is why BPTP will no longer use any American Apparel garments. It was bad enough that the production quality was shaky at best, but this article just floored us. We will be selling off the AA tees that we have in stock, but will not order from them again.

You know, I'm not uptight. I have been in workplaces where sexual comments were made between employees in a joking manner. Ted, my love for the past decade, was my boss for many, many years. But there's something about this article touches on things that go far beyond my personal tolerance level, and I no longer feel comfortable working with AA.

Comments

I read an article about them awhile ago, but at that time there were no cases against them. Frankly, I found it pretty appalling especially in a corporate situation. Glad to hear you won't be using them anymore.

I always felt a bit out of the norm because I actually got a bad vibe from that company when I first read about it years ago. I can't remember what it was exactly, but something to do with hypocracy in what they were saying/doing.

Want me to start making basic shirt styles for you to screenprint? How about velvet BPAL tops for Autumn? ;)

I am always seeing articles about how great AA is for using American workers who are paid decent wages, but I have to say this doesn't surprise me -- I've always felt there was something off about them.

Um, yeah. I've reclaimed the word slut; I call myself an ethical slut. *But* much like the infamous N-word, its acceptability depends entirely on context. If one of my lovers were a coworker, I would not be cool with them calling me slut in the workplace. A boss? Uh-uh. No way. This guy seems to be more of a clueless horndog than anything, but he is in a power-over situation and that makes his behavior too dang coercive.

It's a shame. I had just recently heard a glowing NPR interview where they talked about how well he treated his immigrant employees and thought, "How cool." No mention at all of these shenanigans.

me three! it is 100% different when my lover calls me a slut in the heat of the moment, so to speak, than when someone slaps that label on me because they disapprove of some aspect of my life as a woman.

and thank you, beth. when i found out that bptp used AA shirts, i was unhappy about it. i'm really happy to hear that you've reconsidered.

I saw a piece on them last night on NBC. Yuck...that guy is a 70's era sleaze ball throwback!

I'm happy you won't be dealing with him anymore. While I am happy that the clothing is made in the US for fair wages, it seems to me he uses that as his "get out of jail free" card to pull his sexist bullshit.

After watching the interview with him, I felt like I needed to take a hot shower to scrub off the grime.

Perhaps the key to making AA a more acceptable company is to simply remove the problem. I'm sure that the company has grown to the point where removal of the founder/CEO would not change anything as far as ideals go. Besides, it might actually bring back some of their customers who have been put off by such a...an unprofessional individual.

After they opened their stores, and seeing how sleazy their ad campaigns became, I've wanted nothing to do with them. Plastered all over the front of their stores, grainy images of what appear to be young teens, in sexy poses in bathing suits or underwear.

Mind you Calvin Klein does the same thing, he just doesn't use a polaroid type film to encourage child molester type mentality. I don't care if the girls are of age (which they usually aren't), making them look so young and then trying to pass that off as sexy?

Good for you! A workplace where people joke around and it's all in good fun, and sometimes people have consensual relationships, and even fall in love -- that's one thing. This place sounds damaging.

I've been boycotting American Apparel for a while for multiple reasons, including their *cough* allegedunion-busting:

The company's activities included holding captive meetings with employees, interrogating employees about their union activities and sympathies, soliciting employees to ask the union to return their union authorization cards, distributing anti-union arm bands and t-shirts, and requiring all employees to attend an anti-union rally. The company's most devastating tactic though was threatening to shut down the plant if the workers organized.

The "bravo" was for Elizabeth, but I was going to post as a reply to marchenland because she wrote about AA having good commerce values. Then I think I saw something shiny, and wrote it as a general response instead...

This is really too bad, since I just placed my first order with them today, and bought a dress I *love* at their store in Burlington a week ago or so. I was really happy to be able to buy American-made sweatshop free clothing. Maybe they'll get rid of the CEO? One can only hope.

You're using Bella t-shirts instead? (I seem to recall that brand being mentioned). Are they also sweatshop-free? I guess nowadays I'll need an alternative...

I saw this last night on tv too! You mentioned them the other day but I didn't realize that it was them till this post. Kind of a strange string of events... but then again I'm paranoid... & odd... I'll shut up now :P

Um, ewww. I like everyone else's idea: just remove the CEO and replace with an actual human. Then stick the CEO in a maximum security prison wearing a shirt with the words "CHILD MOLESTER" written in big letters on the front and back......problem eliminated. ;)

They always put me off in a way I couldn't quite figure out, too - besides the fact that the AA store near me charges $20 for plain solid-colour cotton t-shirts and the fact that making a point of using skinny teenage-looking models with no pants on in suggestive poses to advertise said plain shirts is a bit out of place. Now I actually have justification for thinking they're evil!

And yeah, context. I work in a place where the profanity flows free, too, but while my female coworkers and I can jokingly accuse each other of being "sluts" and it means nothing, if our male boss broke in and agreed, it'd be a pretty fucking different story.

I'm all for a casual, creative environment, but there are lines you just do not cross - IMO. Even excluding all of the accusations, I found the CEO's own words damning enough evidence of inappropriate line crossage.Boo on him.

I don't even know what to say.I am so horrified and disgusted by this story, I'm running out of words to describe how I feel.I never would have heard about this if meabh hadn't told me about it, and I am glad she did.What bugs me the most is that for some reason, people don't seem to be bothered by that story much- like that reporter the article talks about. This is not normal, it is sexual harrasment, for goodness' sake! People buy American Apparel clothes because they're supposedly ethical. I can't see how calling employees sluts can be ethical.I am appalled. I have a few American Apparel tees and I don't think I will ever be able to wear them again. I might burn them.